So this then, aside from other things, is part of the reason we won’t be seeing a new Pixies album anytime soon, if at all. Which is probably another reason to love it hard. While the spectacularly successful reunion tours have kept their credibility afloat, it is surely universally accepted that a new recording could do nothing but diminish their amber-trapped legend, which makes Kim Deal’s unwillingness to entertain such an idea encouraging. Hearing this, the fourth Breeders album, though makes even more sense of such reticence. She in particular has absolutely no need to resurrect that band. Whilst age and context can’t help but have a bearing on this album, making direct expectations borne from their celebrated early 90s output somewhat unfair (a tenfold issue for the Pixies, having essentially invented modern alternative music in the late 80s), we are confident in proclaiming ‘Mountain Battles’ The Breeders’ most enlightened and fulfilling album to date.
They’re less goofy now for sure, which might have been a large part of their appeal, but you certainly shouldn’t let that ruin things for you. The art-pop country elasticity of ‘German Studies’ and the sauntering pogo brilliance of ‘Walk It Off’, for instance, are still teasingly carefree, jaunty and playful. Their breakthrough ‘Last Splash’ album was the sound of a band lightly inebriated, trying to keep a straight face but being unable to suppress the giggles. It’s infectiousness was fierce. Now, with ‘Mountain Battles’ they achieve the straight face, and this confidence ensures a high hit rate. These compositions, from the slacker Shangri-Las pop of ‘It’s The Love’ to the experimental ambience of ‘Istanbul’ and the contagious caterwauling of drum ‘n’ drone opener ‘Overglazed’, still give a wide berth to absolute seriousness though, rest assured.
‘Title TK’, their last outing in 2002, was a solid enough exercise in self-preservation, stacked with loose-riffed nonchalance and wanting melody, but this record seems somehow more spiritually complete, more comfortable in its own skin, without sacrificing many of the quirks that made them so alluring in the first place. An absolute shambling success.